Broad
3: River Front Park North to Granby Park (Congaree River)
| Difficulty | I-II(III) |
| Length | 3.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Broad River at Alston, Sc |
| Flow Rate as of 34 minutes | 3660 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 15, 2022 |
River Description
Nice warm-water beginner run through the heart of Columbia, SC. Very wide river with many islands and several Class II rapids. Late spring, early summer the Spider Lilies are in bloom. The run starts on the Broad River just below the Columbia Reservior dam. The standard take-out is at the Senate Street landing on river left just after the Gervais Street bridge. However, the landing is closed for the next several years as Dominion works to remove coal tar from the river bed. The new take-out is at Granby Park on river left below the US 321 bridge.
Directions:
Take-out:
From I-126 take the Huger St. exit. Continue on Huger St. for about 1.5 miles. Take a right on Catawba St. and continue to the end to Granby Park. From the parking lot there is a trail that leads down to the river.
Put-in:
From the take-out follow Catawba St. to Huger St. Turn left on Huger Street and follow to I-126 W. Once on I-126 W take the Greystone Blvd exit. Turn right on Greystone Blvd. Follow Greystone Blvd for about a mile then turn right on Broad River Rd. Take the first left just as you cross the Broad River and Columbia Canal. Follow the dirt road to parking lot at the end. The put-in is on the Three Rivers Greenway after you cross the diversion dam.
River Features
Put-In
At the end of the parking lot, take the path over the canal and down to the river bank. Put-in rapid is a wave train at the end of the dam overflow.
2nd Bridge
After a long stretch of flat/Class I water is the 2nd Bridge (I-126). Read and run Class II. Just after the bridge is a large group of islands, stay to the right channel for an easier attainment up the Saluda to Shandon Rapid.
Confluence
Confluence with the Saluda River forms the Congaree River. Get all the way over to river right for some cool-water relief and a short paddle up to Shandon Rapid.
Shandon Rapid
Paddle up the Saluda to the base of the rapid. Walk to the top on river right. A straight shot, with a decent hole and a side surfing wave at some levels.
White House Rapids
A riverwide shoal type rapid with lots of playable waves and holes. Run just left of the rocks in the middle of the river.
Senate Street Take-Out
On river left just after Gervais St. bridge. Senate Street take-out closed for now.
Granby Park Take-Out
River Left after Blossom St. bridge.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI & some friends have run this stretch several times. Right below the Columbia Canal diversion dam (which has been run many times on RR side--NOT recommended at very low or very high spillover levels), there's a river-wide shoals that contains some good play waves at favorable levels, then a stretch of flat water to the U.S. 176 bridge. Right at the bridge there's a river-wide 'ledge', of sorts, that was formed by rubble & debris dropped into the river when the bridge was widened from 2 to 4 lanes. It's runnable, but watch for sharp rocks & rebar at low levels. After this the next feature is Earlewood Shoals, a class 1 rock garden where the river constricts but there isn't much gradient. After this, the next rapid starts at the approach to I-126 bridge, where several good surf waves form at the right water levels--class 2 at low flows & class 3 at higher flows. At the pool below this drop is the Saluda confluence on far river right, but the river is a half mile wide at this point. Staying left, the next rapid is Water Works (class 2+), a boulder garden with a few feet of gradient. The final rapid before the take-out at Gervais Street bridge is the class 2 Jailhouse Shoals, so named for the former state penitentiary that was located here. Overall, it's a good beginner- to intermediate-level run at moderate flows; a more serious run at higher flows.